Afternoon bites (12/20): Bengals links and notes

Stat check: Amazing A.J., Marvelous Marv eye a Bengals first
But with two games left, soon to be three-time Pro Bowler A.J. Green (8) and sophomore Marvin Lewis Jones (9) playing in his first full season can become the first pair of Bengals wide receivers to catch at least 10 touchdowns in a season. Jones bids to become the club's first No. 2 receiver with 10 since Houshmandzadeh's Pro Bowl season of 2007 netted 12.

For No. 2 wideout Marvin Jones, team is No. 1
Reluctance to worry about personal goals, team touchdown titles or footballs awaiting his pickup serve as symptoms of focus on the bigger picture for Marvin Jones.

Bengals' Wallace Gilberry gains edge in sack race
When Ben Roethlisberger dropped back to pass in the fourth quarter Sunday night, Carlos Dunlap charged around the inside as Wallace Gilberry broke through the outside with a sack on the mind.

Bengals looking to extend home success
The Bengals made a final effort to get Sunday's 1 p.m. game against the Vikings sold out when they received a 27-hour extension from the NFL.

Gilberry looking for Jungle karma; Injury roundup as AP looks GO
It's a Jungle out there and that's why Wallace Gilberry loves playing defense at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals have 18 of their 37 sacks at home with two games to play. In six home games this season the nickel package has been successful 75 percent of the time on third down. Gilberry, their versatile backup defensive lineman and unlikely sack leader with 7.5, has two PBS games with more than one sack.

More notes: Harris adjusting; Zim tackling tackling; Pats-Ravens on Ch. 12
Since Clark Harris arrived to help rescue the AFC North title in a snap in October 2009, he has been gold Jerry gold.

Bengals offense productive with Bernard
CINCINNATI -- The question that many of you have had since the the first few weeks of the season is: How much better are the Cincinnati Bengals with Giovani Bernard on the field as opposed to BenJarvus Green-Ellis?

Bengals receive extension, FCC aims to end blackouts
The Bengals on Thursday announced an extension from the NFL in order to sell enough tickets so Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings can air on local.

Double Coverage: Vikings at Bengals
For the Vikings, the 2013 season has been a difficult one, defined mostly by a quarterbacking carousel and the lack of wins because of it. As for the Bengals, the year has been a mostly good one. With home wins over the Packers and Patriots, and road victories against the Lions and Chargers, the Bengals have looked for much of the year like a team poised for a longer postseason run than the past two years. Cincinnati's 2011 and 2012 seasons ended with first-round playoff losses.

Biggest questions for division leaders
Burke: Will Andy Dalton ever earn our trust? Farrar: Can the defense put things back together without Geno Atkins?

Zach Line is on IR, but it's far from the end for the Vikings fullback
Zach Line had some down time on Saturday afternoon. He was at home, in the Eden Prairie duplex he moved into two months ago, relaxing with his dogs, Addaline and Olive.

Dennis Allen should keep Oakland Raiders coaching job, players say
The Raiders’ fourth consecutive loss of the season wasn’t just bad. It was historically bad. They surrendered a franchise-record 56 points, threw five interceptions and lost two fumbles last Sunday against the Chiefs.

NFL agents recruiting draft prospects can be cutthroat, shady business
We have now reached "go time" for agents in their pursuit of 2014 NFL Draft prospects. Once the college football regular season ends and teams have down time prior to their bowl games, the focus of the top players and their coaches, parents and advisors turns to the agent selection process. Football’s other recruiting season officially has commenced.

Game trends: Analyzing late-season mo, third-and-1s; right, Motown?
How important is a hot finish for a contender? And stats show how the Lions made the wrong choice on a key third-and-1 in a huge Week 15 loss.

After Further Review: Tannehill coming into his own in crunch time
Overshadowed in the 2012 draft, it's time to give Ryan Tannehill his due. The second-year QB has grown up fast while leading the Dolphins to the brink of the playoffs.

Prisco's Picks - Week 16
The Bengals laid an egg in Pittsburgh this past week, so look for a focused team here. They are 6-0 at home and that will show up in terms of their offense. They score a lot more at their place. Minnesota has defensive woes. Look for the Bengals to get an easy one.

Jon Gruden doesn't belong on college sidelines -- he's a myth
Jon Gruden hasn't coached football in five years, and hasn't been a college coach in nearly 25. So what's the fascination with him?

Top 10 players facing career decisions this offseason
Here are some of the top NFL players who might be looking for jobs this offseason.